Damaged road used as unofficial shortcut to remain shut until March

Liz Gallacher

A rural road which has suffered extensive damage after being used as an unofficial shortcut by drivers is to remain shut until the spring.

East Dunbartonshire Council said today it had taken action to close Gartshore Road in the interests of public safety and to prevent further damage.

The road, which runs between the B8048 Waterside Road in Kirkintilloch and Mollins Road, Cumbernauld, will not reopen until the end of March while repairs are carried out.

Until its closure, Gartshore Road was being used by some drivers as an unofficial diversion route between Kirkintilloch and Cumbernauld, and vice versa, said the council, because of the closure of Drumgrew Bridge.

The increased traffic on this rural road caused damage to a culvert, a masonry bridge wall and road verges, and will take several months to repair. Bad weather has also not helped.

Depute Leader of the Council and Convener of Neighbourhood Services, Ashay Ghai said: “Gartshore Road is a narrow, rural road and not designed to take a large volume of traffic.

“It was not the official diversion route following on from the closure of Drumgrew Bridge but many drivers started to use it anyway. We have taken this step in the interests of public safety and to protect the road from further damage.”